World of Tanks: Update 9.10 is Live with New Maps and Tanks

The people over at Wargaming have been working hard to get the latest patch ready for launch for their free-to-play war game, World of Tanks. The latest update brings a whole host of content and changes to the download game.

The most notable changes are the expansion of the Japanese Tech Tree to include a whole new line of tanks, a new in-game event called Rampage, and some changes to the map system.

Loads of New Tanks

The Japanese Tech Tree is getting a huge overhaul. Japan is receiving 9 new heavy tanks, including some of the biggest tanks in the game with some of the most devastating firepower. This new heavy branch is characterized by slow movement and high damage per shot, and is also more accessible to new players, as the tree has the first tier 3 heavy tank in the game, the Type 91.

On top of the new Japanese tanks, 20 existing tanks have been reworked with new textures, so they are now in-game with HD quality, bringing them more in line with the newer tanks. The reworked vehicles are mainly from the German tree, but some others are getting some HD love too. Check out the patch release video below to get some more information on the new tanks, and the other features of the patch.

Helping Hand for New Players

Wargaming has recognized that the game may not be as accessible for new players as it could be, and they have included some changes aimed at improving the new player experience. They have rolled out a new Garage Tutorial that will walk new players through the somewhat overwhelming amount of options that are available in the Garage. Experienced players shouldn’t worry though, as they won’t even know that the new tutorial is there, and can get stuck into armored warfare straight away as normal.

Another addition to help out new players is a change in the map system. As of this patch, new players will only have access to two maps, and will slowly be able to play on more as their garage grows and they gain experience. This isn’t an attempt to gate content to force people to play to unlock the maps, but to try to help ease new players into the game without giving them way too many game modes on way too many maps right from the start.

Some of the New Japanese Tanks in World of Tanks

Watch this space for any more news about the free-to-play World of Tanks, but until then go and cause some mayhem on the battlefield with the new Japanese tanks available.